


This is our Happy Ending

by Rumbelleisotp



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Again, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anti-Heroes, Belle finds him, F/M, Gold is banished, Post Season 5, this time for good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 04:47:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7921117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumbelleisotp/pseuds/Rumbelleisotp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sixteen months ago the Heroes banished Rumplestiltskin from Storybrooke. Now it's his daughter's first birthday and he can't be with her while Belle with their child take a trip in order to reunite with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is our Happy Ending

  "Happy Birthday, sweetheart. Papa loves you so much." Rumple whispered and blew off the pink rose-scented cuddle. He closed his eyes in order to keep his pain at bay. It was 2 am and today it was his and Belle's daughter first birthday and as everything else in his little girl's life, he missed it. He couldn't cry even if he wanted to, his tears long dried up after his second and final banishment sixteen months ago so he was just sitting in the rocking chair in the middle of the nursery of his castle. He had made this room out of hope that maybe, just maybe one day Belle might regret her decision and at least she would let him spend some days with their child. He looked around the room. At the time he had started its construction he didn't know the sex of his child so he had painted it a light shade of brown. The furniture were white and made of rosewood. There was a hollow in front of the window and he had made a seat in it, he could imagine his wife feeding their child while looking at Scottish country. Times like these he shook his head and mentally slapped himself for thinking like that. He knew Belle stopped being his wife a long time ago and he also knew that he would never meet his child, but he was desperate and those thoughts were all he had left of his, now lost, happy ending.

 

  He only knew he had a daughter because Regina informed him so with the simplest of messages 'It's a girl' and that was it. He hated everyone and everything in Storybrooke for keeping him, once again, away from his child. He hated Snow and Charming for having come up with the plan, he hated the Savior and her Pirate for using the dagger against him and banish him from Storybrooke forever. He also hated Henry for stealing his dagger by using the Author's pen but the worst hatred he felt was for himself. He hated himself for not be able to hate Belle, for finding excuses in oder to justify her actions, for having forgive her after everything she had done to him, after everything she had said to him. He should hate her but he loved her more than his life even now, banished and alone, his Belle was the first thought of his mind every morning and the last one every night.

 

  Gold left the nursery and headed downstairs to his study where his liqueur cabinet was, tonight he would drink and scream until he's blue on the face and tomorrow another day would start, a day without hope or expectations. 

 

  After the heroes made him leave Storybrooke and never came back, forcing him with the dagger, he had rum for almost a year before he found a forgotten castle on Scottish coast. It was beautiful and dark and it reminded him of his own Dark Castle, with the big ballrroms, big chambers and the enormous library.  He bought it for that reason, it was brining him back to the time when he was falling in love with Belle, when Bae was alive, when his future seemed bright. It was a reminder of the brightest time of his life and he loved it just for that. 

 

 He sat down on the sofa and purred himself a glass of scotch, one of perks of living in Scotland was that you were never running out of good quality scotch. He was drinking glass after glass until he passed out, his last thought was Belle.

1

The bell ringed and he growled looking at the curtain that separates the backroom from the rest of the shop, why the hell does no one respect the 'Closed' sign was a mystery to Rumple. He just wanted a moment alone after everything that had happened between him and Belle.He got up and headed to the main part of his shop after he made sure the dagger was hidden. He was expecting to see a resident of Storybrooke who was stupid enough to come and deal with the Dark One but the sweet accented voice that he had become too familiar with called him before he had a chance to leave the backroom. 

 

"Rumplestiltskin, come out. We need to talk"  Belle shouted a few steps into their, not theirs, not anymore, his shop. She had so many questions after their encounter on the docks and she needed answers, now. She was also in need to keep Rumple busy as her friends were working on defeating an ememy and Rumple might had helped him, whoever that was. Rumple stepped into the shop and her heart stopped for a moment. He looked angry, furious but also sad. He looked at her and she felt chills all over her body. His stare was cold, nothing like the sweet looks he was giving her not a long time ago. 

 

"What do you want to talk about, Belle?" He asked her . He was furious with her for believing those heroes instead of her husband. But that was Belle. Idealistic till the very end.

 

"I need to talk about us, Rumple. We can't bring a child in this world while we barely talk to each other."  Her eyes pleaded for him to cooperate and as always, he was her faithful slave, he couldn't turn her down when she was looking at him like that but also he couldn't keep anymore everything that was left unsaid from his part.

 

"Okay, let's talk about us. What exactly do you want to discuss about? How you used the dagger against me once more? How I felt when you went for help to the witch who killed my son and imprisoned me for a year or so? Hum? What exactly is that you have in mind, sweet Belle?" He questioned her mockingly.

 

"What? NO! We need to talk about you, Rumple. About the Dark One's curse. I know you can turn the darkness into light only if you try. We can make it happen, together"  She replied hopefully and he huffed. Of course he was at the wrong end.

 

"Then there is nothing to discuss, dearie. I have accepted the darkness long time ago. It's a part of who I am. And you better accept that truth yourself, otherwise we can't be together."  He said to her. He knew his words were hurting her and he was hurting himself for it but it was time for Belle to accept the truth so they can be together.

 

"No. I refuse to believe that. You're not as dark as you might believe. You have goodness in you and I love you for that"  he laughed at that and she was confused. She just told him she loved him and he laughed? Why?

 

"Stop having illusions, Belle. You never loved and you never will. You just fell in love with the idea of me turning into a good man but you never loved me as I was." She started protesting but he cut her raising a hand. "May I remind you that since our very first kiss you wanted me to be a different man?  You didn't accept me like I was. You wanted me to change, to get rid of the darkness. I am sorry Belle but this is who I am" he finished with his hands wide open on his sides. Belle shook her head. Why he can't see that this isn't him it was beyond her. 

 

"Rumple, please, if you just listen to me-" she was cut off by him again.

 

"Listen to you? This is all I am doing here Belle. You're the one who never listen to me. I tried to use light magic back in the Underworld and where that led us? To you under a sleeping curse with the fake belief that your father can wake you up. Well he didn't Belle. And just for the record, he thinks you're under a spell, that's why you're with me." He stopped for a moment to take a breath "I tried to be a good man for you, Belle, and I was but that wasn't enough for you. You didn't want me back when I was a hero and you don't want me now that I am the Dark One. What do you want, Belle?"  He asked her with his eyes shut closed because he was loosing his temper. But so did Belle.

 

"What I want? What  I want? Rumple, this was always about you. You wanted to find Bae and you kicked me out. You wanted to find Henry and you left me behind. You wanted to get rid of the dagger and you lied to me so don't you dare to make this about me because it isn't." Her voice was loud and threatening. 

 

"At least I have never cheated on you. How long did you wait until you go out with Will, hum? A week, ten days the most? Sorry I came back and ruined your plans with your thief. But I guess if you could, you would have banished me again, wouldn't you? You would have taken away my free will like you have already done two times. Just answer me one question Belle, did it feel good? To be able to control your husband? To watch me limp away with nothing more that the clothes I wore back then? Did you feel like one of the heroes in your books? Banished the greatest evil. " He asked her mockingly.  That was it, she had enough of this and she couldn't control what she was about to say next.

 

"Well, did it feel good when you exchange lives with Baelfire?" By the moment the words left her mouth she knew she had crossed an invisible line. She covered her mouth with her hands as if the words would come back but they didn't and the hurt that was written all over Rumple's face was enough to make her feel like the worst person ever. She knew how much his son's death was hurting him and she threw it on his face. Rumple just turned around trying to keep himself together from collapsing in front of her. His fists were closed and his knuckles were white. 

 

"Leave, Belle. NOW!" He said to her. She stood there for a moment, debating if she had to leave or not. But in the end she decided it was for the best of both of them to spend sometime alone, away from each other, until things would seem better. She turned around and by the time the door of the shop closed behind her she started crying. So did Rumple. Until he was summoned at the townline and leave that town forever.

1

 

  Belle woke up gasping for air. She saw him again. She couldn't stop herself from hurting him with words, not even in her dream. He was banished for sixteen months now and it still hurts so much. Every morning she woke up alone in their bed and she hugged his pillow. He should be here with her and their daughter, Rose, this was where he belonged. By her side and she by his. She shouldn't have trusted those hypocrites, she should have ask what their enemy was, she should have known that they meant Rumple. 

 

  Rose started crying and Belle walked into the nursery to calm her child. She held her close to her chest, whispering a lullaby to her. Tomorrow was her first birthday. Belle still remembered the day Rose came to this world. She gave birth alone in the hospital and she only allowed Regina to visit her. Regina hadn't have a clue about the heroes' plan and she was the only one who knew how it hurts to lose your True Love. She was in worse place than Belle because Robin would never come back, his soul wasn't exist anymore but Rumple couldn't return either and Belle couldn't leave because there was a curse over the town line... again.

 

  Belle recalled the day of her husband's banishment. She had gone for a long walk when she received a message from Snow, it was an invitation for dinner at Granny's in order to celebrate the success of their plan. Belle thought it was a good distraction from her fight with Rumple... only if she knew.

1

Belle walked in to Granny's, the warmth of the dinner was inviting and she could see people talking and laughing. She thought her entrance would go unnoticed but Hook raised his drink to her.

 

"Oh, there she is!" he said and Belle found herself the centre of attention. Everyone was looking at her and they were all smiling happily. She didn't know what she had done but before she had a chance to ask Hook continued his welcome speech. "Let's drink to this lady. We wouldn't have succeeded without her."  

 

'Wow' Belle thought, 'that person they have defeated must be a great threat for this town' 

 

"I didn't do anything" Belle said. "All I have done was to talk to Rumple"  she regretted mentioning her talk with him because the image of his eyes, mirrors of his pain and hurt, was coming back.

 

"And now thanks to you Belle, Rumplestiltskin is banished from this town till the end of the time" David said to her with a proud smile upon his face. Belle's world collapsed, what did he mean when he said banished? Belle voiced her thoughts without realising and Snow gave her the explanation she dreaded of.

 

"We banished them, Belle. He is gone and we forbidden him to ever come back. Now you can raise your child without him around." Snow seemed very confident that this was what Belle wanted, but is wasn't. Tears were gathering in her eyes, they had banished her husband, the father of her child without even asking her. They had made a decision, a wrong one, at her account.

 

"How dare you assume what I do and don't want? You had no right to send Rumple on the outside world." Belle said to all of them, she was furious with them and angry and devastated for losing the love of her life, forever. But she would keep herself together. She wouldn't cry in front of those heroes.

 

"Come on, Belle. Don't tell me you care for him." Emma stepped in defence of her mother and the rest of the group.

 

"Of course I care about him, I love him."  Belle replied, her temper was getting the better of her.

 

"If that was true, then why his kiss didn't wake you up back in the Underworld?"  Zelena asked her. Belle was dumbstruck, she had no idea that Rumple had kissed her back in the Underworld, he never mentioned it, but then again when did she have him time to explain? His kiss hadn't worked. He must be a wreck and she was keeping him away from their child since he woke her up.

1

  Rose fussed and she got Belle's attention. Tomorrow they would leave. She had found a spell that would protect both of them when they would leave the town. She was packing during the last week and everything was settled for their departure. The spell was resting at the basement and it would be ready tomorrow morning.

 

 Belle had used Rose blood to track Rumple with magic. She used a world map at first to learn where exactly he had moved, then she had used on of Scotland and she had found him with the help of the internet, his new castle. It reminded her of the Dark Castle and she loved it. She wanted to go back to the good times, when she was falling in love with Rumple and everything seemed so bright. Belle took Rose with her and they slept for the night. 

 

0

 

  Rumple woke up with a horrible hangover. He had drunk himself to unconsciousness the night before and now he was paying the price of it. The sun was high but the dark heavy curtains stopped the light and the room was still very dark. He looked around searching for a glass of water but found none, so he summoned one with his magic. After Henry had restored magic in this world, it wasn't impossible anymore to use spells and enchantments on the world outside of Storybrooke. Thankfully only one as powerful as the Dark One can do so, otherwise the world would be a mess created by people who can do magic but they didn't know anything about spells and prices.

 

  He got up and went to the bathroom. After he took a shower, he dressed up and he drove to town. It was a long ride but he must retrieve the present for his daughter's first birthday. Rumple knew how foolish it was to buy a gift for someone and never give it to them but it would make him feel less depressed. A month or so ago he had discovered a little shop with homemade furniture, it's owner was a very skilled joiner and he had asked him to make a special gift for his daughter. Now, after he had paid for it, Rumple was driving back home with a little spin wheel on the backseat of his car. 

 

0

 

 They were standing in the queue for the security check. Rose was calm so far. She had slept during their road trip and now she was playing with her mother's hair while they were waiting. Belle had woken up before sunrise, their flight was at 10 am and see was relieved there was no delay.  

 

 By the time they took their seat, Rose started complaining. The baby was restless, so was Belle but they both calmed down when the plane took its leave. They were flying to Glasgow and where they would stay for one night as they would land after midnight local time and tomorrow from there they would take the train for the town nearby to Rumple's castle and then they would finally head to the third member of their little family.

 

0

 

  Rumple woke up the next day with a strange feeling that something would happen today. It nearly felt like hope so he ignored it. The last time he felt something similar, Belle had told him she would be staying at Hook's ship. He had found her at their home and he was stupid enough to think that she had accepted him but instead she had been holding a suitcase and she had left. From that day forward he had dismissed any feelings that wasn't anger or sadness.

 

0

 

  Belle took a deep breath and knocked the door of her husband castle. She was exhausted from yesterday and jet-lagged but that didn't matter, not when she is about to see the love of her life after so many months apart from him. The door opened and Rumple appeared.

 

0

 

There was knock on the door and Rumple growled, who that might be he had no idea. He thought about letting them knock till they left but something inside him was screaming to open that door and he did.

 

0

 

"Belle?" Rumple said awestruck. He couldn't believe se was really here, in front of him. He must have drunk himself to sleep again, that was the only logical explanation, right?

 

"Rumple" Belle whispered with tears in her eyes. She couldn't believe they had made it and found Rumple. 

 

"Papa" Rose said to Rumple and got his attention. Rumple pinched himself in order to make sure this was real and it hurt so Belle was really standing in front of him with their daughter's in her arms. Time seemed still as Rose reached for her father and Rumple asked silently Belle if he was allowed to hold her, she answered him with a nod and a watery smile and she passed Rose to him. The girl was studying him, she touched his nose, cheeks and hair that now was falling in front of his eyes. Rumple was speechless, he was holding his daughter, his precious angel. She was so beautiful with her mother's features but her eyes were the same whiskey brown with gold details he saw every time he was looking at the mirror. Some sense came back to him and invite Belle inside. He now noticed she was carrying some suitcases with her.

 

  Once inside he lead them to the castle's library, maybe he could convince Belle to stay a little longer than she was planning to after she had seen the library. Belle from her part was relieved that Rumple hadn't shouted on her face and casted her out. She was also amazed by the size of this library. It was larger than the one on Storybrooke, she would have a lot of books to read.

 

  She turned around and she watched Rumple bouncing Rose in his arms, he was making funny faces to her and the baby was laughing. She remembered that she hadn't told him her name. She closed the distance between them and Rumple looked at her, sadness was written all over his face as he started handing Rose to her, Belle shook her head at his gesture and he held his daughter closer than he had before.

 

"Her name is Rose" Belle said to him. "Rose Collette Gold". Rumple looked at Belle curiously and a little hopefully.

 

"Gold? You gave her my name?" he asked her, his voice thick of emotion. Belle looked straight into his eyes and replied to him. "It's our daughter, Rumple. She is as much your child as she is mine. I could never take that away from you and her." Rumple recalled something from the scene at the door a few minutes ago.

 

"She called me 'Papa'" he said to Belle, dreamy "She knows about me, doesn't she?" he asked her.

 

"Of course she does Rumple. You are her father, she has to know about you and I made sure she did but what I told her about you does not compare with how much she will learn about you from now on." Belle finished and tacked a curl behind Rose's ear. Rose yawned and she rested her head on Rumple's shoulder. Rumple started rocking her.

 

 "I have a room ready for her" he whispered to Belle "that is if you are staying" he added after few seconds cause he didn't know what Belle's plans were. Belle ensured him tat they would stay and he carried Rose at the nursery with Belle following him. 

 

  Belle was left speechless when she stepped into the nursery. It had never crossed her kind that Rumple might have made one but if course he would. He was the most loving person when it came to his children. She looked around the room. It was painted on light brown, Belle thought of it was calmly. The furniture sphere expensive, made in hand, she can see the details on them. There were trees craved on most of them. The drawers were tall enough to be the perfect height for her to change the baby's diapers. Her heart clenched on that thought, Rumple had missed so much of Rose's life but it was clear that he loved her more than anything. She could see it in the way he was holding her and talking to her. 

 

Before she realised it, Rumple was urging her to leave the room as their daughter was asleep. They went downstairs to the living room. It was a big room painted in dark red with hints of gold all over it. The couch and sofa were red velvet with go!d details but the pair of armchairs near the fireplace was leather black. There was a little table between them. Rumple took a seat on the left on an gestured to Belle to sit down on the other. She gladly accepted his invitation. He offered her something to drink but she refused so they were sitting in silence for a while. Belle was the one to break it.

 

"This place it reminds me of the Dark Castle" she commented. She made a fade smile on Rumple's profile. 

 

"It's the reason I bought it." he replied looking at the fire. Below could sence that he was tense. She wanted to calm him down.

 

"I am sorry" she whispered and he could only hear her because the only other noise in the room was the fire cracking. She didn't have to say what she was referring to. They both knew.

 

"You don't have to be. You had your reasons for wanting away from our child" he said at the same quiet tone. Belle was taking aback by his answer. Did he really thought that she knew about the hypocrites' plan and she had agreed to it? Did she give him the signs to think so?

 

"I didn't know their plan. I swear to Rose, Rumple, I had no idea that they were going to banish you." She made herself clear in a pleading tone. He turned his head and he took a good look at her. He needed to know how honest her words were. He found no sign of dishonesty in her eyes.

 

"You didn't? Then why didn't you come for me?" He voiced the question that had been eating him alive during the last months. Belle started explain to him about the curse the heroes put on the town line so no one could live or enter the town. She told him how hard she had worked in order to find a potion or spell to allow her to leave the town and find him. By the time she did, Rose was coming and she wouldn't risk their child life by using magic on her at such a young age. She mentioned she read that it was safer to leave at Rose's birthday. He asked her why she hadn't called him and she apologised for it over and over but it wasn't her fault, Emma had forbidden to keep contact with him and she had created an enchantment in order to prevent the town for calling him or texting to him. Regina was able to break that but only for a very brief moment, the message he had received was written by Belle.

 

"Rumple," Bells said as she took one if his hand in both hers "I am really sorry for what happened and what I said to you that day. I finally opened my eyes and I saw with who I was dealing for so long. I should have never asked you to stop using your magic. Now I can see it's a great part of yours and I have accepted that I fell in love with the man AND the beast like you told me once. And I really want for us to start over." She reached for her purse and held a little valvet box out for him. He took it and opened it. Inside if it it was Belle's wedding ring. 

 

"You, um, you want me to put it on its rightful place?" He asked her hopefully. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. With trembled hands he put the ring back on her finger and he kissed her knuckles. They leaned into each other and their lips met on a sweet kiss, so much alike their first one. Rumple pulled back slowly wanting to memorise this moment. He opened his eyes and found Belle looking at him with a dreamy way. He caressed her cheek and she got up to sit on his lap. He welcomed her and his hands were unconsciously holding her close to him. He buried his face on her neck as he was breathing into her. God he had missed her so much. Belle kissed his hair and she rested her head upon his. 

 

"I love you Rumple." She said.

 

"I love you too, sweetheart." He said.

 

0

 

  The morning found Belle and Rumple curled in his, now theirs, bed. Rose started crying and Rumple was the first to get up, he told Belle to fall back to sleep and that he would take care of Rose. The baby's eyes lightened up when she saw her father. She reached for him and he was more than happy to obey her command to be held. Belle was watching her family from the doorstep. Rumple was playing with Rose, they both sitting on the floor. She noticed a big box at one corner of the room.

 

"Rumple? What is that?" She asked her husband. He got up with Rose in his arms. He pulled the box in the middle of the room with one hand. With a gesture of his hand the box fell apart and it was revealed a beautiful light brown with pink details spin wheel. He looked sheepishly at Belle. 

 

"It's for Rose's birthday" he explained. 

 

"It's beautiful." Belle observed the tiny wheel, she hadn't seen a more beautiful toy than this. She stepped into Rumple's embrace and she gave him a peck on his lips. 

 

"I love you" she whispered upon his lips.

 

"And I you" he returned.

 

"I wov ou!!!" Rose said enthusiastically and she hugged her parents.

 

"We love you too" Belle and Rumple said in unison. They stayed in the middle of the room, hugging each other for a long time until their parted when Rose started being restless. They headed downstairs to make breakfast and start their day together, as a family.

 

'This is our Happy Ending'  both Rumple and Belle thought unbeknownst of the other's exact same thought


End file.
